Belt driven wire spooler



Dec. 27, 1938. w. D. PIERSON BELT DRIVEN WIRE SPOOLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1936 Y .5 .s; m m

ATTORNEY Dec. 27, 1938.- w D. PIERSON BELT DRIVEN WIRE SPOOLER s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1956 INVENTQR 33 WflhamDPnerson ATTORNEY Dgc. 27, 1938. w. D. PIERSON BELT DRIVEN WIRE SPOOLER Filed April 18, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 llmlll lll 2:: 2::

lNVENTOR ATTORNE Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFIQE BELT DRIVEN WIRE SPOOLER Connecticut Application April 18, 1936, Serial No. 75,107

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wire spooling machines, and more particularly to a spooler attachment adapted to be applied to the end of a high speed heavy duty continuous wiredrawing machine.

One object of this invention is to provide a spooler attachment of the above nature in which the wire spool is adapted to be driven by means of a constant-speed endless belt, which is pressed into contact with the wire on the circumference of said spool, whereby the linear speed of the wire will be maintained uniform, irrespective of the spool diameter and amount of wire wound upon the spool.

A further object is to provide a spooler attachment of the above nature in which the winding spool is detachably journaled on a fixed horizontal axis and is driven by a substantially vertical endless belt running over a pair of pulleys mounted on horizontal axes at elevations above and below said spool, one of said pulleys being power-driven and mounted on a fixed shaft, while the other pulley is idle and is mounted on the free end of a swinging cradle pivoted on said fixed shaft.

A further object is to provide a spooler attachment of the above nature in which the endless driving belt is normally urged against the winding spool with a substantially constant force by means of an adjustable compression spring or weight acting upon the swinging cradle.

A further object is to provide a spooler attachment of the above nature in which the endless belt may be readily swung out of contact with the wire on the winding spool by means of a handle member located on the free end of said cradle.

A further object is to provide a wire spooler attachment of the above nature having a latch member which is adapted to detachably snap over a hook located on a fixed part of the withdrawing machine, said hook serving to hold the cradle and belt out of the way, leaving the operator free to employ both of his hands for manually removing the filled spool and replacing it with an unfilled spool.

A further object is to provide an alternative form of adjustable weight urged belt carrying cradle for winding the wire on the spool, in which the cradle is provided with a laterally extending curved arm at one end having a variable point of tangency with respect to a weight carrying cord passing over said curved arm.

A still further object is to provide a wire spooling device of the above nature which will be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, and very eificient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which the invention may be 5 conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the improved wire spooler unit as it appears when attached to one end of a high speed heavy duty wiredrawing machine.

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the spooler unit per se.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view or the compression spring supporting rod showing how it is connected to the cabinet of the wiredrawing machine.

Fig. 6 is a side View of a modified form of the invention in which the belt is pressed against the spool by the action of a weight connected by a cord to a curved arm extending laterally from the cradle.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view of a mechanism for locking the modified form of cradle out of the way when changing spools.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary end view of the same.

This invention is similar to the light duty spooler attachment disclosed in a prior application filed by the same inventor on February 19, 1932, Serial No. 594,044, a patent for which was issued on February 4, 1936, No. 2,029,832.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral It! indicates generally a wiredrawing machine comprising a base pedestal ll upon which is supported a heavy duty wiredrawing cabinet l2 in which are arranged two sets of upper and lower wiredrawing capstans IS. A pair of stepped holders M for a plurality of wire dies, not shown, are located between the capstans l3 of each set, as shown in Fig. 1, and it will be clear that in operation the wire 15 will be passed back and forth and around said capstans and through said dies successively until the desired reduction in diameter of the wire has been obtained. After being delivered from the wiredrawing cabinet l2, the wire IE will pass around a final exterior drawing roll it mounted on the forward end of a spindle shaft ll which is journaled in an extension box !8 connected to the right end or exit wall of the wiredrawing cabinet I2.

As the finished wire l5 leaves the final drawing roll IE, it will travel in an upwardly inclined direction to a guide pulley |9 carried on the free end of an overhead spring balanced arm 29, and thence downwardly to a winding spool 2|. The overhead arm 20 is pivotally connected at its inner end to the outer end of a bracket member 22 made rigid to the adjacent side of the extension box |8 secured to the wiredrawing cabinet. The arm 20 is urged upwardly by means of a coiled spring 23 having tangential connection with a pair of grooved pulleys 24 and 25 journaled at opposite ends of the bracket member 22, this feature of construction being well known in the art.

Winding spool mechanism The winding spool 2| is provided with a pair of parallel end flanges 26 and 21, and is adapted to be removably journaled upon a pair of free running front and rear stud spindles 28 and 29, respectively. The rear stud spindle 29 is suitably journaled in a ball bearing race, not shown, contained within an enlarged adjustable hollow hub 30. The hub 39 is integrally connected to a flanged base 3| which in turn is adjustably attached to a raised pedestal 32 forming part of a main base 33 of the wire spooling unit. The above construction permits the hollow hub 39 to be adjusted along its longitudinal axis.

The forward stud spindle 28 is also journaled in a ball-bearing race, not shown, positioned in a hollow front movable hub 34. The hub 34 is slidable in a surrounding tubular casing 35 having an integral flanged flat base 36. The base 36 is adjustably connected with a front raised section 31 forming an integral part of the machine base 33. The upper section of the tubular casing 35 is longitudinally split at 38, and the opposite upper sides of said section 35 have integral upstanding lugs 39 and 46. A transverse binding screw stud 4| cooperatively passes through a hole in the lug 40 and engages in the lug 39 which is tapped to receive the threaded end of the stud 4|. The stud 4| is provided on its right end, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, with an extension 42, upon which a clamping rod 43 is rigidly mounted. This construction permits the lugs 39 and 49 to be tightly drawn together to cause the side sections of the tubular casing 35 to clamp tightly upon the slidable hub 34 and hold it in adjusted position.

In order to move the hub 34 to the left, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, for the purpose of disengaging the forward spindle 28 from the spool 2|, provision is made of a handle lever 44 fulcrummed in a bifurcated bracket 45 extending to the left from the flanged base 36 of said casing 35. The left end of the movable hub 34 is integrally formed with a pair of spaced lugs 46 connected to the handle lever 44 by a transverse pivot pin 41.

Belt driving mechanism The vertical endless belt 48 for driving the winding spool 2| is preferably constructed of canvas or similar material, and is arranged so that its right-hand course, as viewed in Fig. 1, is adapted to contact with the wire |5 being wound on said spool 2|. The belt 48 is mounted to travel around a pair of broad flangeless pulleys 49 and 59 which are journaled in the Opposite forked ends 5| and 52, respectively, of a swinging cradle 53 normally located in a vertical position.

The lower pulley 59 is driven. by means of a driving shaft 54, upon which it is mounted, said shaft 54 also forming a fulcrum for the cradle 53. The front end of the driving shaft 54 is suitably journaled in a bearing hub 55 integrally formed on a horizontal bracket 55a (Fig. 2) secured to the raised section 31. The rear end of the driving shaft 54 is journaled in a reducing gear box 56 located adjacent the rear corner of the main base 33 at the right, as shown in Fig. 3. The gear box 56 receives power through an exterior pulley sheave 51 which is adapted to be connected by means of a belt 58 to a source of power, such as a motor 59, located in the hollow base pedestal ll of the wire machine l0, (see Fig. 1).

The fixed lower end 52 of the swinging cradle 53 is provided with a pair of integral hollow hubs 60 and 6| containing ball bearings, not shown, which are journaled upon the rotating drive shaft 54, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In order to take up slack and permit adjustment of the sag in the driving belt 48, the uppermost pulley 49 (which is idle) is journaled upon a horizontal spindle shaft 62 held against rotation and supported at its extremities by a pair of cocentric bearing bushings 63 and 64 mounted within a pair of hollow hubs 65 and 66 formed integral with the forked upper end 5| of the swinging cradle 53. The bearing bushings 63 and 64 are each provided with a plurality of radial holes 63a and 64a for receiving a pin wrench whenever it is desired to manually twist said bushings 63 and 64 in their respective hubs 65 and 66 for varying the distance between the two pulleys 49 and 50. The tension of the driving belt 48 may thus be adjusted as desired.

To cause the endless belt 48 to press against the peripheral surface of the wire |5 being wound on the spool 2| with a substantially constant pressure, provision is made of a horizontal longitudinal rod 61 having a forked yoke 68 fixed to its right-hand end adjacent the cradle 53, as viewed in Fig. l. The forked yoke 68 is pivoted to the opposite sides of the upper forked end 5| of the cradle 53 by means of a pair of lateral trunnions 69 engaging therein. The opposite or left-hand end 69a of the horizontal rod 61, as seen in Fig. l, is slidably fitted within a swiveled bearing block 10 connected to the front Wall of the wiredrawing machine pedestal H (see Figs. 1 and 5).

Surrounding the rod 61 is a relatively strong elongated helical spring 1| having its left end engaging the block 10 while its right end abuts against an adjustable slidable collar 12 secured to the rod 61, as by a set screw 12a. The swinging motion of the cradle member 53 toward the winding spool 2| is limited by'means of an adjustable stop collar 13 slidably mounted on the rod 61 at the left of the bearing block 10.

It will be obvious from the above construction that as a winding spool 2| progressively fills up with wire, the cradle 53 will be swung counter-clockwise away from the full line vertical position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, about its pivoting axis or shaft 54. This motion will increase the compression in the spring 1| somewhat, but due to the fact that the center of gravity of the cradle 53 is at the same time moved toward the left, the weight of the inclined cradle and pulleys supported thereon will exert a progressively increasing counter-clockwise force, the effect of which will substantially counter-balance that of the clockwise force due to the spring 1|. The pressure of the belt 48 upon the spool 2I will therefore remain practically constant at all times.

Such a constant pressure is desirable in order to produce a uniform Winding speed of the wire upon the spool 2I so as to prevent slippage between the spool and the belt. A uniform winding speed is also essential to the proper operation and efiiciency of the wiredrawing machine from which the wire is taken. The maintaining of a substantially uniform pressure of the belt upon the wire being spooled also assists in laying the wire more uniformly upon the spool, and thus prevents sticking of the wire and facilitates the unwinding of the wire from the spool during later use.

Moreover, by means of the present invention, the maximum speed of the wiredrawing may be maintained throughout the entire time of spooling, thus producing the greatest possible production from the machine.

In order to hold the driving belt 48 in inoperative position out of contact with the wire on the spool 2I, as when it is desired to change spools, the innermost hollow hub 66 at the top of the cradle is formed with an integral upwardly projecting boss 14 carrying a rigid upwardly projecting handle grip I5. Extending rearwardly from the handle grip I5 is an upwardlj yieldable hooked latch member I8 which is adapted to snap over an L-shaped horizontal rigid catch hook I9 attached to the adjacent wall of the extension box I8 (see Figs. 1 and 2). The latch member I8 is provided with an integral upwardly extending releasing movable gripping'arm held in spaced relation from the rigid handle grip I5 by means of a small interposed spring BI. The outer free end of the latch member 18 is provided with a cam-shaped nose 82 which is adapted to automatically snap over the hook 19 by the action of the spring 8! when the cradle 53 is manually forced rearwardly by means of the handle T5. T0 release the latch I9 from the catch hook i9, it is only necessary to grasp the rigid handle I5 and manually force the movable releasing arm 89 to the right against the hand grip 15. The spring H will then be allowed to move the cradle 53 to its normal vertical operating position.

Belt traversing mechanism In order to cause the belt 48 to be slowly reciprocated laterally between the spool flanges 26 and 21, and across the surfaces of the pulleys 49 and 59 for preventing tracking and keeping said belt clean, provision is made of a pair of upwardly inclined fingers 83 and B4 (see Fig. 2) straddling the left-hand course of said belt 48 and having their lower ends adjustably secured to a square horizontal traversing bar 85 located at the bottom of the cradle 53 (see Figs. 2 and 3). The ends of the traversing bar 85 are slidably journaled in a pair of square bosses 86 and 81 formed integral with the front bracket 55a and a small supporting bracket 83, respectively.

The reciprocating motion of the traversing bar 85 is produced by means of a small eccentric crank cylinder 89 (Fig. 3) secured to one end of a transverse shaft 99 and connected with said bar 85 by a pitman link 9i. The transverse shaft 99 is provided on its forward end with a pulley 92 driven by a belt 93 from a small driving pulley 94 located on the outside of the gear box 95. Power is supplied to the gear box from a large exterior cone pulley 96, which is driven by a belt 91 running over a smaller cone pulley 98 secured to the end of the motor-driven driving shaft 54 adjacent the sheave 51.

Wire traversing mechanism In order to cause the wire I5 to be wound upon the spool ZI evenly in successive layers, provision is made of a pair of slightly spaced parallel downwardly inclined guide fingers 99, between which the wire I5 passes on its way to the spool ZI. The guide fingers 99 are secured at their upper ends to an. angular holder block I99, which in turn is pivotally carried on the lower end of an adjustable clamping chock I9I mounted to slide upon a horizontal rectangular traversing bar I92. The traversing bar I92 is supported in an elevated position above the spool ZI by a pair of brackets I93 and I94, the bracket I 93 being secured at the top of the hollow hub 39 while the bracket I94 is mounted on the top of the gear box 95.

The reciprocating movement of the bar I92 is produced by an upwardly extending oscillating lever I95 connected to said bar I92 by a pin I99 which is carried by a sliding plate (not shown) located in an elongated slot I95a provided in the upper end of said lever I95. The lever I95 is supported by a bracket I91 rigidly attached to the rear wall of the gear box 95, and the fulcrum (not shown) of said lever I 95 is adapted to be vertically adjusted by any well known means, whereby the stroke of the bar I92 may be varied as desired. The lever I05 is swung back and forth about its adjustable fulcrum by suitable means, not shown, in said gear box 95, said means being similar to that disclosed in the prior Patent 2,029,832 previously referred to.

Spool runway In order to permit the easy removal of the heavy spool 2 after it has been filled with wire, without having to manually lift the same, provision is made of a platform I98 located a short" edge of the platform I98, and serves as a pivot for the upper ends of a pair of inclined laterally adjustable runways H9 and III leading down to the floor. The runways H9 and III are provided with outside raised guide flanges H2 and H3, respectively (see Figs. 3 and 4).

This construction is fully described in my previous Patent No. 1,874,206, dated August 30, 1932.

Operation In the operation of replacing a filled wire spool with an empty spool, it will only be necessary for the operator to grasp the fixed handle grip rod I5 of the cradle 53 and push the latter away from the spool as far as it will go. This will cause the cam-shaped nose 82 of the springpressed latch 78 to snap over the catch hook I9 and automatically lock the latch member I3 thereon. The sliding hollow bearing hub 39 for the left-hand stud spindle 28 will next be loosened within the surrounding casing 35 by manually swinging the inclined clamping rod 43 in the proper direction to turn the binding screw stud 4| and spread apart the sides of the upper split section 38 of said casing. The operator will next grip the lever 49 and swing it in "only one of such pedestals a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, thereby moving the sliding hub 34 and its free running spindle 28 t0 the left out of engagement with the spool 2I. This will release the spool and permit it to drop directly upon the platform I08 therebelow. The spool 2I may then be readily taken out of the machine without lifting, by pulling it forwardly, causing it to roll down the runways H0 and III to the floor.

To insert an empty spool, the above operations will be reversed, and the driving belt 48 may be again brought into contact with the wire on the spool 2I by squeezing the releasing handle of the latch member 18 against the handle grip 15, thus releasing the cradle 53 which may then be allowed to swing to the right by the action of the spring 1I into its normal spool winding position.

Modified form Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive illustrate a modified form of mechanism for permitting the weight of the cradle and associated parts to be counter-balanced, and the pressure with which the belt will engage the wire on the spool to be accurately adjusted, whereby a constant pressure of any desired amount may be maintained.

In this form of the invention the cradle H4 will be pivoted at its upper end upon a horizontal drive shaft I I5 mounted in a pair of enlarged hubs H6 and H1 located upon the top of a pair of hollow standards H8 and H9 resting upon the floor. The driving shaft H5 is adapted to receive power for driving an upper smooth pulley I20 from any suitable source, not shown, said pulley having an endless belt I2I passing thereover, which in turn drives an idle lower smooth pulley I22 which is loosely journaled on a horizontal shaft I23 mounted in the bottom free end of the cradle H4. A flanged winding spool I24 is provided in this form with a central fixed shaft I25 journaled in a pair of fixed pedestals I26 in a manner similar to the members 32 and 31 disclosed in the first form of the invention, I26 being herein shown. The hollow standard H8, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, is provided at its upper end with a vertical side bracket I21, upon the upper end of which is a horizontal forwardly-extending bracket I28 carrying a small grooved pulley I29.

The upper end of the cradle H4 is provided with a U-shaped yoke member I30, from the left-hand end of which extends a curved bellcrank arm I3I, having an upwardly convex edge I32. A cord-holding pin I33 extends laterally from the extremity of said bell-crank arm I3I.

In order to apply a variable force for counterbalancing the variable pressure exerted by the belt I2I upon the wire being spooled, a cord I34 is connected to the pin I33 and passes over the curved edge of the bell-crank arm, to which it is tangent, around a pulley I29, and then down into the hollow standard H8 through a suitable aperture in the upper end thereof. The lower end of the cord I34 is connected to an eye I35 formed on the upper end of a rod I36, the bottom of which is threaded for receiving a nut I31 and a disc I38, upon which is supported a plurality of cylindrical weights I39.

The crank arm I3I is so shaped that as the cradle swings downwardly toward a vertical position as the spool fills up with wire, the point of tangency of the cord I34 upon said crank arm I32 will change in such a manner that the constantly diminishing force due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts acting in a clockwise direction around the fulcrum H5, and in opposition to the force of the weights I39, will be accompanied by the progressive shortening of the moment arm of the weights I39 due to the inward movement of the point of tangency of the cord I34 on said crank arm I3I. This will result in a substantially constant pressure of the belt upon the spool.

It will be understood that any desired additional weights may be placed upon the disc I38 over and above that required to exactly counterbalance the weight of the cradle and associated parts, so as to adjust the pressure of the belt I2I upon the spool to any desired amount.

In order to permit the cradle to be temporarily held out of the way when changing spools, provision is made in the boss II1 of the right-hand standard H9 (see Figs. 7, 8 and 9) of a slidable spring-pressed locking bolt I40 having an elongated cylindrical head I4I urged at all times toward the yoke member I30, and adapted to engage in a socket I42 formed in said yoke member when the cradle has been swung rearwardly to a predetermined point. For permitting the locking bolt I40 to be manually withdrawn from the socket I 42 and allowed to swing back into normal operating position, provision is made of a knurled control knob I43 located on the opposite end of said rod from the head MI. The bolt I40 carries a transverse pin I44 normally seated on the outer surface of the standard H9. When the knob I43 is turned degrees in either direction, the pin I44 will engage in a depressed groove I45 in a raised section of the standard. As will be understood, the locking bolt I40 will thus be permitted to slide to the left and automatically engage in the socket I42 when the cradle is manually swung to the left from the position shown in Fig. 6.

For the purpose of providing additional pressure of the cradle belt upon the wire being spooled, the yoke member I30 at the top of the cradle I I4 has an upwardly extending detachable square rod I46 screwed into its upper end, upon which is mounted an apertured rectangular sliding weight I41. The weight I41 may be adjusted up or down the length of the rod I46, and is adapted to be securely held at any desired adjusted position by means of a set screw I48.

While there have been disclosedin this specification two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool pivoted on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends pivotally mounted on said support, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys and having one course thereof engaging the wire being spooled, a spring-pressed horizontal rod connected with said cradle to urge it toward said spool,

the spring pressure on said rod being progres- 75 sively increased as the cradle swings outwardly due to the filling up of the spool with wire whereby the counterforce due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts will be counterbalanced.

2. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool pivoted on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends pivotally mounted on said support, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys and having one course thereof engaging the wire being spooled, spring means to urge said cradle toward said spool, the compression of said spring being automatically progressively increased to substantially balance the gradual increase of counterforce due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts as the cradle swings away from the axis of the spool due to the filling up of the spool with wire.

3. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool pivoted on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends pivotally mounted on said support on a fulcrum located below said spool, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys and having one course thereof engaging the wire being spooled, means to urge said cradle toward said spool with a progressively increasing force to substantially balance the gradual increase of counterforce due to weight of the cradle and associated parts as the cradle swings outwardly due to the filling up of the spool with wire.

4. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool pivoted on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends pivotally mounted on said support, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys and having one course thereof engaging the wire being spooled, and adjustable means for exerting a progressively increasing force acting in the direction of spool to substantially balance the gradual increase of force due to weight of the cradle and associated parts as the cradle swings outwardly due to the filling up of the spool with wire.

5. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool journaled in said support on a horizontal axis, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends over which travels an endless belt running at constant speed for engaging the periphery of the wire on said spool, a substantially horizontal rod having pivotal connection at one end to said cradle, the other end of said rod being slidably mounted in a block having a swivel connection with said support, and a coiled spring on said rod engaging said swiveled block at one end and fixed at its other end to said rod, the compression in said spring being automatically increased progressively as the cradle swings away from the axis of the spool as the latter fills up to substantially counterbalance the gradual increase of force due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts acting in the opposite direction.

6. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool journaled in said support on a horizontal axis, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends over which travels an endless belt running at constant speed for engaging the periphery of the wire on said spool, a laterally extending rod having pivotal connection at one end to said cradle, the other end of said rod being slidably mounted in a block having a swivel connection with said support, and a coiled spring on said rod engaging said swiveled block at one end, the compression in said spring being automatically increased progressively as the cradle swings away from the axis of the spool as the. latter fills up to substantially counterbalance the gradual increase of force due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts acting in the opposite direction.

7. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool journaled in said support on a horizontal axis, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle carrying pulleys at its opposite ends over which travels an endless belt running at constant speed for engaging the periphery of the wire on said spool, a laterally extending rod having pivotal connections at one end to said cradle, the other end of said rod being slidably mounted in a block having a swivel connection with said support, a coiled spring on said rod engaging said swiveled block at one end and fixed at its other end to said rod, and a stop member on said rod beyond said swiveled block to limit the movement of said belt toward said spool, the compression in said spring being automatically increased progressively as the cradle swings away from the axis of the spool as the latter fills up to substantially counterbalance the gradual increase of force due to the weight of the cradle and associated parts acting in the opposite direction.

8. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool journaled on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined cradle pivoted to said support, a driven pulley and an idle pulley carried at opposite ends of said cradle, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys, a hook on said support, and a spring catch on the free end of said cradle in. alinernent with said hook to cause said latch to become automatically engaged with said hook when said cradle is manually pushed away from the spool so as to permit the operator to have both hands free when changing spools.

9. In a wire spooler, a support, a winding spool journaled on a horizontal axis in said support, a substantially vertical inclined cradle pivoted to said support, a driven pulley and an idle pulley carried at opposite ends of said cradle, an endless belt running at constant speed on said pulleys, a hook on said support and a spring-pressed manually releasable catch on the free end of said cradle in alinement with said hook to cause said cradle to become automatically latched out of the way from said spool when said cradle is manually moved away from said spool so as to permit the operator to have both hands free when changing spools.

10. In a wire spooling machine a support, a horizontal winding spool, a constant speed vertically driven endless belt having contacting engagement with the wire being wound on said spool, a swinging cradle pivoted on a fixed axis below and at one side of the axis of said spool and normally positioned in a substantially vertical inclined position, a driving pulley and an idler pulley for supporting said endless belt mounted on the fixed and free ends of said swinging cradle respectively, a substantially horizontal rod connected at one end to the upper free end of said cradle and slidably supported at its opposite end, a helical spring surrounding said rod and urging the belt toward said winding spool, and latch means on the upper end of said cradle for detachable engagement with said support for holding said belt out of contact with said spool to permit exchange of spools.

11. In a wire spooling machine, a support, a winding spool mounted on a horizontal axis in said support, a driving shaft mounted in said support below and laterally spaced from said spool, a substantially vertical inclined swinging cradle member pivoted at its lower end on said driving shaft, a driving pulley fixed upon said driving shaft, an idle pulley mounted on the upper free end of said cradle member, an endless belt traveling around said pulleys and driven at constant speed by said driving pulley, spring means for urging said cradle and belt toward said spool to frictionally engage the wire being wound on the surface thereof, the increasing force due to gravity acting away from said spool due to the swinging of said cradle as the spool fills with wire serving to substantially balance the increasing compression of said spring acting toward said spool, whereby a substantially uniform belt pressure upon said spool will be maintained.

12. In combination with a wiredrawing machine having a wiredrawing roll for pulling the drawn wire through the final die, a freely rotatable spool to which the drawn wire is directed to be wound thereon, mechanism for winding the wire on said spool at constant speed including a vertically disposed endless belt adapted to engage the wire being wound on the spool, a vertically disposed cradle bracket pivoted at one end to swing toward and away from said spool, a pulley at each end of said bracket and about which said belt is disposed, one of said pulleys being driven at constant speed, and means to maintain a substantially constant and uniform pressure of the belt upon the spool as the wire is being wound thereon including a compression spring arranged to urge the bracket toward the spool, said spring serving to counterbalance the weight of the bracket as the latter swings away from said spool due to the increased diameter of the spool caused by wire being wound thereon.

13. In combination with a wiredrawing machine including a series of dies, a drawing roll by which the wire is pulled through the last dies,

a freely rotatable spool for winding the wire leading from said roll, mechanism for spooling the wire at constant speed including a vertically disposed endless belt engaging the wire being wound on said spool, a vertically disposed cradle bracket pivoted at one end to swing toward and away from said spool, a pulley at each end of said bracket and about which said belt is disposed, one of said pulleys being driven at constant speed, the axes of said pulleys being in substantial vertical alinement when the belt is in engagement with an empty spool, a plane passing through said axes being substantially parallel to the horizontal axis of said spool, and means to maintain a substantially constant and uniform pressure of the belt upon the wire being spooled, including a compression spring, said spring acting to urge the bracket toward the spool to balance the counterforce due to said bracket as the latter swings out of the vertical away from said spool.

14. In combination with a wiredrawing machine having a wiredrawing roll from which the drawn wire leads, a freely rotatable spool to which the drawn wire is directed to be wound thereon, mechanism to wind said wire on said spool at constant speed including a vertically disposed endless belt adapted to engage the wire being wound on said spool, a vertically disposed cradle bracket pivoted at one end to swing toward and away from said spool, a pulley at each end of said bracket and about which said belt is disposed, one of said pulleys being driven at constant speed, means to maintain a substantially constant and uniform pressure of the belt upon the spool as wire is being wound thereon including a compression spring arranged to urge the bracket toward the spool, said spring serving to counterbalance the force of the bracket acting away from said spool as said bracket swings away from the axis of said spool due to the increasing diameter thereof caused by wire being wound thereon, and a releasable catch on said bracket adapted to engage a stationary part of said machine to hold said bracket away from said spool when it is swung into such position as to dispose said belt out of contact with said spool.

WILLIAM D. PIERSON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,lhl,95l December 27, 1958.

. WILLIAM D. PIERSON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, first column, line 1. .5, claim L before the word "spool" insert said; and second column, line 18, claim'Y, for "connections" read connection; line 59,, claimlO, after "machine" insert a comma; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the rec- 0rd of the case in the Patent Officer Signed and sealed this 2th day of February, A., D. 1959.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

